Women’s soccer tied with George Mason University in their Atlantic 10 opener Thursday afternoon in GW’s seventh game without a loss through the regular season.
Reaching their longest undefeated streak since 2019, the Colonials (3-0-5) hung on against the Patriots (1-5-3) in a 1–1 shootout on their home turf at the Mount Vernon Campus field. The Colonials started with a slow offense but gained momentum during the second half when they scored the first goal of the match before its otherwise-lockdown defense let in a game-tying George Mason goal in the second half.
The NCAA issued new guidelines this season, which eliminates overtime during the regular season, leading to more ties when the score remains even as time expires. The new set of rules has benefitted the GW team in the loss column compared to last season when the Colonials dropped 12 games through the regular season.
Freshman athletes like goalkeeper Grace Crowe have anchored the team’s defense to keep opponents to no more than two goals per game. The Colonials continue to work on creating new scoring opportunities after struggling to penetrate their opponent’s defense with consistency.
The Colonials shot at a .083 clip with 10 shots on goal while the Patriots averaged a .125 shooting percentage with three shots on goal. The Colonials sought to undermine the open Patriots defense but struggled to effectively weave their attacking play into the net.
Two minutes into the game, the Patriots took possession from a GW corner kick from the Colonials and George Mason junior forward Shea Carroll fired an unsuccessful shot out from the top left.
The Colonials responded with a kick from graduate student forward Rachel Sorkenn from the bottom right that George Mason freshman goalkeeper Selamawit Caldart saved. Sorkenn regained possession and worked the ball up from bottom center, shooting but failing to put it past Caldart.
Patriots junior forward Ashley Shimberg subbed into the game and applied extra pressure to the GW defense, opening up the zone to set up freshman midfielder Mia Casciani for a shot from the bottom right. GW freshman goalkeeper Grace Crowe ate up the shot for a save.
The Colonials encountered two more scoring opportunities as back-and-forth exchanges continued – junior defender Margaret Rabbitt and sophomore midfielder Abby Mansoor shot from the top, but two saves from George Mason’s Caldart stymied the attacks.
The second half began with a corner kick from the Colonials that punctured the George Mason defense and pushed GW into their zone.
In the 47th minute, GW’s Rabbitt scored off a corner for her second goal of the season coming off an assist from graduate student midfielder Sammy Neyman. The first goal of the game set the score at 1–0.
The Colonials sought to increase their attacks with three shots on goal, but Caldart snatched each attempt to hold the GW lead to just one.
The Patriots substituted in freshman forward Sophie Davidson during the 59th minute, who served to be the deciding factor for George Mason in the game. Within less than a minute of entering play, she broke through with a left foot kick that entered the net to tie the game.
The two teams totaled 11 fouls together during the second half, frustrating both offenses with box penalties that egged on the scoring drought.
The Colonials logged their fourth tie of the season, struggling to execute on offense at the top of the box deeper into the opposing defense.
The Colonials will travel to Fordham, where they will continue their A-10 slate. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.
